Open Sore On Dalmation Molly - Help Please

[frannyscho]

Hello peeps,

I noticed about a week ago that my dalmation molly had a whitish band across her back as if her spots were fading in a half inch stripe across the top of her head about 4-5mm wide. I have been very busy this week and have only been rushing in to feed them once a day without looking much. I went in today and wondered as I hadn't seen her for a while, she was at the back and rubbing her head desperately on the heater and appears to have an open wound on the top in the middle of the now white strip. It looks as if it goes down two layers....poor fish...She's a bit wobbly and quivery too...

I can't see any evidence of it on any others yet.

what do I do, and what is it? Can anybody help please?

 

[WILDER]

Need water stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph, size of tank in gallons, plus how many fish and which type, does it sound like this but not the writer of this information.

Columnaris (a.k.a. Mouth Fungus)



Symptoms:

An infected fish will have off-white to gray cotton-like patches on the head, fins, gills, body and particularly the mouth. In time, these areas will develop into open sores. Gill swelling may occur, gill filaments may stick together and excessive mucus may develop in the gill area. Rapid breathing can be seen. Fins may deteriorate to the point of leaving the fin rays bare. Muscles may be inflamed and capillaries may rupture. Fish, particularly livebearers, may exhibit "shimmying". Infection may be acute (killing an infected fish within hours), or chronic (lingering for several days before eventually killing the fish). As with most diseases, not all symptoms need be present.



Cause:

The bacterium Flexibacter columnaris.



Treatment:

Ensure that your water conditions (e.g., Ammonia, Nitrite, pH, Nitrate levels, and water temp.) are within their proper ranges. If not, perform a water change and/or treat the water accordingly. Recommended medications include: Furanace, Fungus Eliminator, Fungus Cure, Furacyn, Furan-2, Triple Sulfa, E.M. Tablets, Tetracycline, or Potassium Permanganate. Medicated foods are also recommended. Columnaris can be highly infectious and may quickly kill all aquarium inhabitants; therefore, early treatment is essential. All fish, including those not yet showing visible symptoms, as well as the aquarium they inhabit should be treated.

 

[frannyscho]

Thank you, I looked up some pics on google search and it sort of looks like that, although on the head not the mouth. Somewhere it says it is called mad molly disease, so I will assume thats the the case and do all the necessarys to all fish and water.

Haven't done stats but it is probably due to overcrowding because all the tiny molly and platy babies are growing so fast that I have both filters running in the 45gal. The fish shop have said they will take some back but the kids haven't let me so far. I've got the bag and the elastic band ready, but I'd better treat them all first now.

I will put the ill one in the small tank but treat both tanks in case. Fish and quantities in sig.

Thank you so much

 

[WILDER]

http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml

 

[frannyscho]

Thank you thank you, all of that stuff has been brill.

I put her in a hospital tank with the treatment. She got really stressed at being caught and bent over at the tail end and seems to have stayed bent that way. Why would that be? I wasn't rough.

I treated the big tank too and noticed that the black molly has rust marks just over one eye and some of the other mollys are displaying rusty spots too. Is this linked?

I treated the tank with interpret no 8 for anti fungus and finrot, it contains PHENOXYTHANOL.

I fed them loads of bloodworm because she usually loves these. She ate about 4 and because of that she seems to have perked up a tiny bit thisevening. She is more active but is still a bit bent at the tail end and her top fin is bent over. The wound is reddish at the edges now, but nothing around the mouth as yet.

Thismorning, rather than medicine, I was contemplating just putting her out of her misery with a large and quick brick....I will see how she is tomorrow morning.

I'm sure she has been getting this for about 4-5 days. so might we be too late for a real long term cure with no future discomfort? and should I just end her quickly? Thoughts?

 

[WILDER]

Right the one with the bent tail is not going to make it, i had a platy go that way, is she bloated, a bent tail also can mean fish tb, the rusty spots turn tanks like out to see if they glow up with a torch, are they also flicking and rubbing against objects, any laboured breathing just wan't to rule out velvet.

As brown spots and patches can also mean columnaris just wan't to make sure you don't have a parasite on top.
http/www.nippyfish.net/flexibacter.html

Not the writer of this information below.
Oodinium (a.k.a. Velvet)



Symptoms:

Oodinium is commonly called "Velvet" because infected fish have a yellowish-brown "velvety" coating that covers its body. When the gills are affected rapid gill movements will be seen. Infected fish often scrape against objects in the aquarium in an effort to remove the parasite. In severe infestations, the skin may peel away in strips. Lack of appetite and lethargy usually accompany these other symptoms.



Cause:

The dinoflagellate Oodinium pillularis. This parasite feeds on the flesh of the fish, destroying the cells of its skin and can even infect its internal organs. This parasite is highly contagious due to the fact that it can survive up to 24 hours without a host. When without a host, they drop to the bottom of the aquarium, where they multiply and wait to find a new host.



Treatment:

Because Oodinium is extremely contagious, all fish, and the aquarium they inhabit, should be treated. Recommended medications include Paraform, Acriflavin, Quick Cure, and Formalin.





http/www.4qd.org/Aqua/disease/tb.html

 

[frannyscho]

The TB doesn't ring bells. She has been an absolute pig for food until today. She isn't skinny. She didn't develop the kink in her body until I moved her. She has been a bit of a bully lately, I assumed she was just preggers again. She has had a lot of babies so the tank was getting overcrowded as they grew. It was because of that I put the second filter in. I've been waiting for them to get big enough to take back to the shop.

The only noticeable sign which I was too busy to deal with was the fading colour of the saddle like patch. This doesn't look so cotton wooly, just like the skin has rotted off with a deeper open wound within, which has just gone pinky red at the edges. She definately has laboured breathing and is listing a bit to one side. The others rather nastily have been nibbling at her too.

I have been examining all the others and all seem to be clear of cotton wooly symptoms except for this rusty spot business. Lots of the dalmation Mollys seem to have orangy tinges to their white bits.

The platys seem fine except one who got stressed after the net had been swishing around. The gouramis, glowlight tetras, blue eyed gertrudes, and loaches seem peaceful and visibly symptom free so far, the plecos seem ok and the upside down catfish I can never see anyway.

Treat all and hope for the best I suppose As for her... I will give her until tomorrow morning for the kids sake to see if she carries on improving...I will double check the velvet symptoms anyway. Thanks.

 

[frannyscho]

I've been reading further on velvet and you are right, they seem to have both of them, velvet and the flexibactor at the same time.

Totally my fault because I was organising a large christmas party for last friday and hadn't seen to my fish.

The molly against all odds seems to have perked up considerably thismorning and is feeding and swimming around with her former vigour in spite of still being a bit bent. The darker bits of the sore have faded.

There is a small patch of wooly on one side of one of the platys.

IMPORTANT Can I treat for both these things at once?

Does the velvet treatment damage the media in the filter?

 

[WILDER]

You can but not advised, i've mixed them in a hospital tank as it might knock your bacteria colony in the tank, i would just try half dose at the moment of the interpet anti internal bacteria med with the parasites med, good luck, increase aeration with using two meds.

Forgot to mention a word of warning if you do use both meds, if a fish is weak it could finish off.

 

[frannyscho]

One platy all bloated at the bottom now, two of the smaller mollys flicking madly against things. Other breeds seem to be fine so far...it's my plecos and the gouramis I'm most worried about coz I love them the best.

What a mess my tank is in. I hadn't neglected it long...it just shows doesn't it. Bloomin dark green algae is back too just to add to things....I feel like just starting again....

I have been aerating the big tank with the first treatment in, but am reluctant to move all sick fish into the hospital tank because it is so small. Seeing as everyone seems to have been exposed to all diseases for so long, does it really matter if the whole big tank is a hospital now? and forget the smaller one? Should I do a massive water change before the other med then remove all the filters for a night or will that make it all worse? I'm getting muddled as to the best thing to do first now.

I suppose I could put the second drug in the little tank and then dunk the velvet affected fish in, then I don't mix the drugs, but it will stress the fish out more.

How long does a fish have to be in each med for to kill each disease? Sorry loads of questions...

 

[WILDER]

I agree if the fish are all sick there is nothing to lose at this moment in time, keep your airstone running to the max, add the parasite med, plus half a dose of the bacterial med, but you might have to be prepared for losing some fish that can't cope with the two med, good luck.

 

[frannyscho]

Just wanted to thank you for all your help whilst I was panicking.

The first med plus water change perked them all up. The platy at the bottom swelled up further with dropsy and I put her in the little tank but she died sadly. Then after a 30% water change three days later, I added the 2nd med and a little salt. The rest all seem much perkier including the molly we had given up for lost, still with the slight kink...

Things look better than they did, and I've cleared out alot of the plants with the blue green algae on. All filters are clean so hopefully we are on top of that episode.

It was a good lesson in how quickly a seemingly good eco-system can crash...I was a beginner got too complacent...I will keep on top of water changes from now on...

 

[WILDER]

Glad things have perked up, good luck.